I have never thought about hydration as it is explained in Melt by Sue Hiltzman. I thought you just drank more water to be hydrated but Sue has opened my eyes to how our bodies are hydrated.

Here is what she says, “Think of a dry sponge- its stiff – but when it’s moist, it’s flexible, adaptable and resilient. You can twist, squeeze, or compress a moist sponge and it returns to its original shape. Your body’s connective tissue is similar: when it’s hydrated, it’s buoyant and adaptable. When it’s dehydrated, it’s stiff and inflexible.”Continue reading »

***Please note that if you have diabetes, this is not a great drink for you. You could add chia seeds to bring down the sugar content & add fibre to slow down the rate at which the sugars hit your system and balance your blood sugars, if you would like or reduce to one apple and one beet. On another note, please know that the box of chocolates or other sugary treat (and avoid the nasty fake sugars) you may want for Valentines will affect your blood sugars…so choose the healthier option and your body will love you!!!

Juicy Juices & Succulent Smoothies Tastings & Demos – check www.moveyourbody.ca click monthly calendar to see when this next event is. Or if you have a few people I will host a class for you!!

Are you ready to live even more vibrantly?? Would you like more smoothie and juicing recipes, money saving tips, how to be healthy on the road and how to get more greens into your diet for weight loss and glowing skin? All this and so much more in Living Vibrantly with Raw Goodness – Your Guide to Juicing and Blending. Order your very own copy today!

Testimonials:

“Tanya’s books are a steal for all the fabulous information she has put together for you!” – Terri S. Holistic Nutritionist

Tanya’s one piece of advice was invaluable to losing 20lbs and keeping it off. It’s not all about eating and exercise – she really tells the truth and changes begin to happen with her tips. – Sarah, class participant and reader of Tanya’s e-booksLooking for the ultimate guide to energizing, palate-pleasing juices and smoothies that will satisfy you from your taste buds to your toes!!

Packed full of incredible information containing

The difference between juicing and blending and
what is right for you.

The side effects of losing weight and inches

The benefits of an alkaline lifestyle

How to juice and blend while traveling or on the
go!

Recipes for adults and children

How to save money and time while eating healthy
food that tastes great!

And so much more!

Order your copy today – this is a very small investment that will reap big, healthy rewards! Be sure to let your friends and family know- Health is for EVERYONE! Contact tanya@moveyourbody.ca if you have any questions.

You’re so lucky to be thin and in shape

…Pardon??

My passion is health and longevity. Skinny and thin doesn’t impress me much. Strong, independent, happy, empowering, and healthy people impress me! People who want the best health for themselves and their families excite me!

I wasn’t a super star athlete as some people have assumed because of my chosen career path. I was a person who did some activity. I figure skated for 5 years from ages 7 to 13. I did baton, I dabbled in track and field in high school and attended aerobics classes throughout high school and university.

In 1992, I graduated from The University of Western Ontario with no idea of what I wanted to do. I decided to attend George Brown College and lived and breathed their Fitness and Lifestyle Management Program. I was HOOKED on exercise. I truly loved how it made me feel…strong, independent, tight, thin, and happy.Continue reading »

The best 100-calorie splurge to protect your skin may be a little candy indulgence that acts like built-in sunscreen: dark chocolate.

Just remember to make sure the dark chocolate is raw or cold pressed and contains upwards of 70% cacao or it loses its antioxidants and nutrient density!

In a recent study, people who snacked on a tiny bit — just 100 calories — of flavonoid-rich dark chocolate every day seemed to be more protected from ultraviolet (UV) radiation by the end of the 12-week study.

Cacao’s Tough Side

To measure the impact that chocolate had on skin’s vulnerability to UV, researchers noted how long it took people’s skin to burn from UV exposure both before and after the chocolate test period. And after the 12 weeks of chocolate, people appeared to need twice as much UV exposure to get sunburn compared with how long it took at the beginning of the experiment.

Researchers suspect that eating dark chocolate may help protect skin thanks to healthy compounds in the sweet stuff — like epicatechins, catechins, procyanidins, and other flavonoids. These healthful compounds may boost circulation in small capillaries in the skin, making skin cells healthier and keeping them cooler. These compounds also act like antioxidants, guarding against damage from the sun’s harmful rays.

BeSkin Savvy

Choose a dark chocolate to nibble— one that contains at least 70% cacao, because cacao is the stuff that has all those helpful flavonoids.

Don’t eat too much, or you’ll end up saving your skin at the expense of your waist.

Eating a bit of dark chocolate is not a replacement for smart skin protection. It’s merely an add-on step you can take in addition to using sunscreen, covering up, and staying out of the sun during peak UV hours.

I just love the words that Nadine from Living Libation uses. Here is a passage taken from her article, “Wise Interaction with the Sun.”

Upon the altar of sunshine, what we ingest determines how our skin responds to sunlight.

Skin cells must be strengthened and nourished internally with real food and water to receive the full blessing of interacting with the sun. Well-nourished skin responds better to sunlight, and sun-ripened food is more nutritious. We can create an internal SPF with an antioxidant-rich rainbow diet of sun-grown Super Power Foods, herbs, and luscious fats brimming with nutrients — all contributing to our internal sunscreen.

Summer is a great time to indulge in sun-ripened fruit, vegetables, and herbs that build an internal SPF. Take tomatoes, for example; researchers in the UK have demonstrated a 30% increase in sun protection after eating a tomato-rich diet. 16mg of lycopene, the red antioxidant found in tomatoes, seems to be the key. Other SPF foods include: watermelon, green tea, turmeric, red, green, and yellow peppers, watermelon, and berries.

Also, save room for chocolate! Pure, unprocessed, and unadulterated chocolate has 4 times the amount of phenols and catechins as teas, and these compounds protect the skin against sunburn.

Many of the skin issues that are called “sun damage” are really the result of malnutrition. The recipe for wrinkles and dark spots is our current standard diet of processed food produced in the shadows of pesticides and factory farming. The trans fats, plasticizers, bromide, formaldehyde, coal tar derivatives, color and flavor additives, and fluoride, commonly found in processed foods create reactions in our bodies that trigger collagen breakdown, inflammation, age spots, and hyper-pigmentation. The rampant use of polyunsaturated-fatty-acids found in every processed food item impairs intercellular-communication, suppresses immune functions, damages our DNA, and on top of all of that, is linked to wrinkles and hyperpigmentation.

This is the difference between cooking with PAM or coconut oil. Organic healthy fats and essential fatty acids, direly depleted in the North American diet, are really needed to amplify the benefits of the sun’s rays. Cold-water fish, meat and dairy from pasture-raised animals, and nuts, as well as coconut and olive oils are beautiful sources of dietary fats.

9 out of 10 people already eat this and 50% of people crave it….but are you eating the right kind that can:

keep your blood sugars even or reduce them,

help you lose body fat (especially from your belly),

lower blood pressure

lower bad cholesterol

reduce your risk of cardiovascular disease

offset age-related cognitive decline

keep you looking and feeling younger

The Kuna, an indigenous tribe in Panama, as compared to rest of Panama citizens have a 10 percent less risk of cancer, diabetes, stroke and heart disease because they drink five cups or more of unprocessed cocoa a day.1

David Wolfe says, “this is the NUMBER ONE food for LONGEVITY”2. Check out his great presentation on cacao, click here.

Dr. Oz says that 3,

1) “The best 100-calorie splurge to protect your skin may be a little candy indulgence that acts like built-in sunscreen: dark chocolate.”

2) It’s good for your heart – While an apple a day keeps the doctor a way, an ounce of chocolate a day can keep your blood pressure at bay and even lower cholesterol. But the cardiovascular benefits don’t end there. The flavonols in dark chocolate produce nitric oxide, a substance that relaxes your arteries, improving blood flow to your heart.

3) It boosts your libido
Chocolate has long been known to be a sensual treat, but do you know why? The more than 400 chemicals in chocolate positively affect your body’s “good mood” chemicals, including serotonin, endorphins and even phenylethylamine, known to stimulate the release of dopamine into the body’s pleasure centers (think: happy ending!).

Theobromine, which is present in cacao, kills streptococci mutans, one of the main types of bacteria responsible for tooth decay and improves asthmatic type conditions by opening up the lungs.4

So, why is a Personal Trainer/Health Advocate talking about chocolate and educating her clients to eat it. Because the chocolate that I am talking about is not a candy, it’s an antioxidant rich cold-pressed product. Chocolate is derived from the cacao bean (or cacao bean), however, there are many things that can happen along the way to change it from a SUPERFOOD to BADFOOD (a processed product with no nutritional benefits).

When you consume raw or cold-pressed chocolate you are receiving all the antioxidant value, mineral benefits, neurotransmitter rejuvenating properties and overall health-giving qualities. You will not find any of the fillers that are found in your store bought chocolate candy bar. Even some of the dark chocolate that is now filling the grocery shelves has lost its nutritional value due to being heated.

Cacao means “the food of the gods”. Chocolate isn’t a new invention. In the 1700’s it was so revered by the Mayans and Aztecs that they used cacao beans instead of gold as money. Cortez, who probably introduced Europe to chocolate, wrote: “The divine drink which builds up resistance and fights fatigue. A cup of this precious drink permits a man to walk for a whole day without food”.

**Don’t confuse cacao powder with cocoa powder – although they are made from the same plant, cocoa powder is highly processed, often sweetened and not as flavourful. 5

There are a plethora of scientific studies on the health benefits of chocolate andnonethat have been able to prove any negative health effects associated with it (unless the chocolate has additives like dairy or sugar).6

For years, I have been researching chocolate and loved the wealth of knowledge I learned from, Naked Chocolate by David Wolfe. You can pick up your copy here.

When I switched from milk chocolate to dark chocolate it took me awhile to find one that I could eat because it just did not taste that great. After a few attempts I stumbled upon Xocai- a company that sells Healthy Chocolate and for a few years ate it religiously. I actually sold it for awhile but stopped only because I’m not a chocolate salesperson but rather I like to encompass “everything healthy”. So while I don’t actively sell it anymore, it still consume it and can get some for you if you like.

To my surprise, the dark chocolate that I didn’t like a few years ago, I now love. My taste buds had transitioned from milk to dark and now milk chocolate is way too sweet and artificial tasting. So, give it time and be patient!

I love the raw hand pressed chocolate from Living Libation, here is how Nadine describes her chocolate bars:

Our Chocolate is the love-child of Willy Wonka and Mary Poppins dancing in the rain forest, singing “a spoonful of chocolate helps the plant- medicine go down in the most delightful way”. This raw organic chocolate is created and ground by hand so that all abundant vitality and rich minerals are present. This forest grown, heirloom seed, whole cacao, artisan chocolate and is liberated from dairy, roasting, soy, nuts, refined butter and sugar. Alas, there is nothing to inhibit the gifts of this primordial chocolate packed with nutrient botanical super-foods.

I also love the Sacred Heart chocolates available at Upayanaturals. They are raw, stone-ground, organic and vegan.

David Wolfe says, “This is clearly the best chocolate bar ever! Take one bite and you will know that Sacred Chocolate has cracked the cacao code!”

Are you ready to try a few recipes using raw cacao? Let your taste buds dance happily with these great desserts!

Raw Chocolate PuddingLOVE this!!! So rich and creamy and super delicious. Sometimes I eat it for lunch!

In a blender (I use my Vita-mix, free shipping code 06-005828), blend all the above ingredients together until smooth. Cool in the fridge. Enjoy! My children also enjoy this. You can dip some fruit in it for a new adventure.

We can always use reminders in our day to keep us grounded! I often will take photos of quotes or photos to inspire me and keep me on track. I printed this out and taped it on the wall in my kitchen! AHHHHH……

Remember to have patience with yourself in this journey of life. We often want too much too quickly in this INSTANT world and it’s causing a lot of stress related health problems. We can’t see STRESS and most of us have built up a resistance to it and don’t even know what it would be like without it. So, instead of flying off the handle or eating your stress, slow down just a little to start and take a deep breath…………..ahhhh!

I know you aren’t munching on lettuce during your t.v. viewing or when you are sneaking those night time snacks. Question is, are you even hungry or is it just a mindless habit that is causing weight gain or sabotaging your weight loss efforts?

We all know that we shouldn’t be eating anti-nutrient snacks, so step up and become conscious of what you are doing. Get honest with yourself about this habit.

Place cut up veggies and place them in front of you- nighttime eating is usually when the consumption of “BAD” food enters our bodies. If you don’t want to drink a smoothie or munch on veggies you probably aren’t hungry. And hey, if you are trying to break this habit gently, eat the goodness of real food and then take the next step of not “noshing” when you are not hungry.

Journal – why are you eating? Emotional, avoidance – this may be painful but very beneficial to uncover your reasons. Get the Skinny on Skinny Jeans e-book is a great resource and may be a great start for you to uncover these issues and get you on the right path to living healthy in your skinny jeans!

Find another activity that won’t allow you to eat mindlessly! How about a few deeps breaths.

If you are hungry, perhaps you are not eating enough during the day. Have an honest look at your daily eating habits – become a “health detective”- and see what changes you could make. Also, check out True vs. Toxic Hunger – this was “eye-opening” for me!

Mindless nighttime eating is just that – mindless. It adds extra-unwanted calories into your body resulting in extra padding or FAT!

If you’re not hungry- food won’t fix it.

What suggestions do you have to avoid night time “noshing”, “binge-ing”, “sabotage”???

Have you ever thought about the fact that you have brown fat and white fat in your body?

According to the “Exercise Promotes “Good” Fat” article in the September 2013 IDEA Fitness Journal, brown fat is thought to be metabolically active in that it helps burn calories and may ward against weight gain and diabetes. New research shows that exercise can increase the body’s “good” fat. This too is another wonderful reason to get up and moving!

As a Personal Trainer, I find that there is so much focus on losing weight, but what if you’ve lost weight and not put it back on – I would call that a success. Sure, maybe you’d like to lose even more weight but holding steady and letting your lifestyle catch up to your current weight and stabilize is – what I would call another success. Be proud of your journey!!!

What if, you are changing your white fat to brown fat which is more metabolically active but the results aren’t showing up quickly enough on the scale…do you abandon your exercise routine? Does the scale dictate your exercise and healthy living adventure or can you step back and feel great knowing that perhaps you won’t end up with more weight gain or diabetes?

Being in the fitness industry for over 20 years, I know that the majority of people want to lose weight (whether it’s 50lbs or 5lbs), but let’s celebrate the success of making healthy lifestyle choices, adding movement into our days and being grateful for the magnificence of our body.